Sidewalk Requests

Engineering Director

Sidewalk Requests are managed by the Civil Engineering Division of the City of Knoxville at 865-215-6100.

The City of Knoxville has a comprehensive New Sidewalk Request Rating System whereby each request is investigated and rated to establish a ranked priority. The rating system is based on an investigation by a staff member of the Civil Engineering Division.

Based on the investigation, each sidewalk is scored according to the following five criteria:∙ pedestrian use∙ roadway classification∙ proximity to existing sidewalk∙ inclusion within school Parental Responsibility Zones∙ connectivity to Knox Area Transit routes

Each score is then totaled to provide a score for each project. Additionally, a cost estimate for each project is established based on the site conditions and apparent availability of right-of-way.

This prioritized list and the cost estimates are provided to the City administration to assist in selecting future sidewalk projects.

The City of Knoxville has a comprehensive Sidewalk Replacement Rating System whereby each sidewalk request is inspected and rated in order to determine the priority in which the sidewalk will be repaired. The rating system is based on a visual inspection by a staff member of the Civil Engineering Division.

Based on the visual inspection, each location is scored according to the following four criteria:∙ spalling∙ pedestrian use∙ cracking∙ differential settlement

Each score is then added up to provide a total, which determines whether the sidewalk has a priority rating of 1, 2, or 3. Any sidewalk with a priority rating of 1 will have a work order written for repair or be included in the City’s annual Sidewalk Safety Program repair contract. Those sidewalks with priority ratings of 2 or 3 will be put in a database for future consideration.